6/1/17

Burger King Drops Its Claim To Belgian Throne

Just days after Burger King drew the ire of an actual monarch while promoting its soon-to-open location in Belgium, the fast food chain has pulled ads that asked “Who is the king?” and declared that it is not, in fact, a king.

Reuters reports that Burger King withdrew the online advertisement today after a discussion with the Belgium monarchy.

The advertisement, used to promote the chain’s first restaurant in the country, featured a cartoon likeness of King Philippe of Belgium, who ascended to the throne in 2013 after his father abdicated.

Visitors to WhoIsTheKing.be were presented with a cartoon version of the king and a Burger King burger and asked to vote. “Two Kings. One crown. Who will rule? Vote now … ” the site read.

If you clicked on King Philippe, a popup asks, “Are you sure? He won’t be the one to cook your fries.”

Reps for the monarch said earlier this week that they “disapproved” of the campaign, and would not have given permission for the chain to use the King’s likeness for the promotion.

A rep for“The brand has always respected people’s opinion and must face the harsh truth. As a consequence, Burger King gives up its title and withdraws it from its logo—as heralded on its official Facebook page.”
tells Reuters that the company decided to pull the campaign after the backlash.

“The brand has always respected people’s opinion and must face the harsh truth. As a consequence, Burger King gives up its title and withdraws it from its logo—as heralded on its official Facebook page,” the fast food company said in a statement, as reported by AdWeek.

However, while visitors to the ad site no longer see the likeness of King Philippe, they are greeted with another ad.

This time, Burger King is apparently admitting defeat, declaring “there is no place for two kings in Belgium” along with a Burger King logo sans the “King.”